TREATY SERIES 2015 Nº 8 International Labour Organization Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 Done at Geneva on 23 February 2006 Ireland s Instrument of Ratification deposited on 21 July 2014 Entered into force with respect to Ireland on 21 July 2015 Presented to Dáil Éireann by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION, 2006
Preamble The General Conference of the International Labour Organization, Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met in its Ninety-fourth Session on 7 February 2006, and Desiring to create a single, coherent instrument embodying as far as possible all up-to-date standards of existing international maritime labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour Conventions, in particular: the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); and Mindful of the core mandate of the Organization, which is to promote decent conditions of work, and Recalling the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998, and Mindful also that seafarers are covered by the provisions of other ILO instruments and have other rights which are established as fundamental rights and freedoms applicable to all persons, and Considering that, given the global nature of the shipping industry, seafarers need special protection, and Mindful also of the international standards on ship safety, human security and quality ship management in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as
amended, and the seafarer training and competency requirements in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended, and Recalling that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, sets out a general legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out and is of strategic importance as the basis for national, regional and global action and cooperation in the marine sector, and that its integrity needs to be maintained, and Recalling that Article 94 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, establishes the duties and obligations of a flag State with regard to, inter alia, labour conditions, crewing and social matters on ships that fly its flag, and Recalling paragraph 8 of article 19 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation which provides that in no case shall the adoption of any Convention or Recommendation by the Conference or the ratification of any Convention by any Member be deemed to affect any law, award, custom or agreement which ensures more favourable conditions to the workers concerned than those provided for in the Convention or Recommendation, and Determined that this new instrument should be designed to secure the widest possible acceptability among governments, shipowners and seafarers committed to the principles of decent work, that it should be readily updateable and that it should lend itself to effective implementation and enforcement, and Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals for the realization of such an instrument, which is the only item on the agenda of the session, and Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of an inter- national Convention; adopts this twenty-third day of February of the year two thousand and six the following Convention, which may be cited as the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. General Obligations Article I 1. Each Member which ratifies this Convention undertakes to give complete effect to its provisions in the manner set out in Article VI in order to secure the right of all seafarers to decent employment. 2. Members shall cooperate with each other for the purpose of ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of this Convention.
Definitions and Scope of Application Article II 1. For the purpose of this Convention and unless provided otherwise in particular provisions, the term: (a) competent authority means the minister, government department or other authority having power to issue and enforce regulations, orders or other instructions having the force of law in respect of the subject matter of the provision concerned; (b) declaration of maritime labour compliance means the declaration referred to in Regulation 5.1.3; (c) gross tonnage means the gross tonnage calculated in accordance with the tonnage measurement regulations contained in Annex I to the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, or any successor Convention; for ships covered by the tonnage measurement interim scheme adopted by the International Maritime Organization, the gross tonnage is that which is included in the REMARKS column of the International Tonnage Certificate (1969); (d) maritime labour certificate means the certificate referred to in Regulation 5.1.3; (e) requirements of this Convention refers to the requirements in these Articles and in the Regulations and Part A of the Code of this Convention; (f) seafarer means any person who is employed or engaged or works in any capacity on board a ship to which this Convention applies; (g) seafarers employment agreement includes both a contract of employment and articles of agreement; (h) seafarer recruitment and placement service means any person, company, institution, agency or other organization, in the public or the private sector, which is en- gaged in recruiting seafarers on behalf of shipowners or placing seafarers with shipowners; (i) (j) ship means a ship other than one which navigates exclusively in inland waters or waters within, or closely adjacent to, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply; shipowner means the owner of the ship or another organization or person, such as the manager, agent or bareboat charterer, who has assumed the responsibility for the operation of the ship from the owner and who, on assuming such responsibility, has agreed to take over the duties and responsibilities imposed on ship- owners in accordance with this Convention, regardless of whether any other organization or persons fulfil certain of the duties or responsibilities on behalf of the shipowner.
2. Except as expressly provided otherwise, this Convention applies to all seafarers. 3. In the event of doubt as to whether any categories of persons are to be regarded as seafarers for the purpose of this Convention, the question shall be deter- mined by the competent authority in each Member after consultation with the ship- owners and seafarers organizations concerned with this question. 4. Except as expressly provided otherwise, this Convention applies to all ships, whether publicly or privately owned, ordinarily engaged in commercial activities, other than ships engaged in fishing or in similar pursuits and ships of traditional build such as dhows and junks. This Convention does not apply to warships or naval auxiliaries. 5. In the event of doubt as to whether this Convention applies to a ship or particular category of ships, the question shall be determined by the competent authority in each Member after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned. 6. Where the competent authority determines that it would not be reasonable or practicable at the present time to apply certain details of the Code referred to in Article VI, paragraph 1, to a ship or particular categories of ships flying the flag of the Member, the relevant provisions of the Code shall not apply to the extent that the subject matter is dealt with differently by national laws or regulations or collective bargaining agreements or other measures. Such a determination may only be made in consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned and may only be made with respect to ships of less than 200 gross tonnage not engaged in international voyages. 7. Any determinations made by a Member under paragraph 3 or 5 or 6 of this Article shall be communicated to the Director-General of the International Labour Office, who shall notify the Members of the Organization. 8. Unless expressly provided otherwise, a reference to this Convention constitutes at the same time a reference to the Regulations and the Code. Fundamental Rights and Principles Article III Each Member shall satisfy itself that the provisions of its law and regulations respect, in the context of this Convention, the fundamental rights to: (a) freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; (b) the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; (c) the effective abolition of child labour; and
(d) the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Seafarers Employment and Social Rights Article IV 1. Every seafarer has the right to a safe and secure workplace that complies with safety standards. 2. Every seafarer has a right to fair terms of employment. 3. Every seafarer has a right to decent working and living conditions on board ship. 4. Every seafarer has a right to health protection, medical care, welfare measures and other forms of social protection. 5. Each Member shall ensure, within the limits of its jurisdiction, that the sea- farers employment and social rights set out in the preceding paragraphs of this Article are fully implemented in accordance with the requirements of this Convention. Unless specified otherwise in the Convention, such implementation may be achieved through national laws or regulations, through applicable collective bargaining agreements or through other measures or in practice. Implementation and Enforcement Responsibilities Article V 1. Each Member shall implement and enforce laws or regulations or other measures that it has adopted to fulfil its commitments under this Convention with respect to ships and seafarers under its jurisdiction. 2. Each Member shall effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control over ships that fly its flag by establishing a system for ensuring compliance with the requirements of this Convention, including regular inspections, reporting, monitoring and legal proceedings under the applicable laws. 3. Each Member shall ensure that ships that fly its flag carry a maritime labour certificate and a declaration of maritime labour compliance as required by this Convention. 4. A ship to which this Convention applies may, in accordance with inter- national law, be inspected by a Member other than the flag State, when the ship is in one of its ports, to determine whether the ship is in compliance with the requirements of this Convention. 5. Each Member shall effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control over sea- farer recruitment and placement services, if these are established in its territory.
6. Each Member shall prohibit violations of the requirements of this Convention and shall, in accordance with international law, establish sanctions or require the adoption of corrective measures under its laws which are adequate to discourage such violations. 7. Each Member shall implement its responsibilities under this Convention in such a way as to ensure that the ships that fly the flag of any State that has not ratified this Convention do not receive more favourable treatment than the ships that fly the flag of any State that has ratified it. Regulations and Parts A and B of the Code Article VI 1. The Regulations and the provisions of Part A of the Code are mandatory. The provisions of Part B of the Code are not mandatory. 2. Each Member undertakes to respect the rights and principles set out in the Regulations and to implement each Regulation in the manner set out in the corresponding provisions of Part A of the Code. In addition, the Member shall give due consideration to implementing its responsibilities in the manner provided for in Part B of the Code. 3. A Member which is not in a position to implement the rights and principles in the manner set out in Part A of the Code may, unless expressly provided otherwise in this Convention, implement Part A through provisions in its laws and regulations or other measures which are substantially equivalent to the provisions of Part A. 4. For the sole purpose of paragraph 3 of this Article, any law, regulation, collective agreement or other implementing measure shall be considered to be substantially equivalent, in the context of this Convention, if the Member satisfies itself that: (a) it is conducive to the full achievement of the general object and purpose of the provision or provisions of Part A of the Code concerned; and (b) it gives effect to the provision or provisions of Part A of the Code concerned.
Consultation with Shipowners and Seafarers Organizations Article VII Any derogation, exemption or other flexible application of this Convention for which the Convention requires consultation with shipowners and seafarers organizations may, in cases where representative organizations of shipowners or of seafarers do not exist within a Member, only be decided by that Member through consultation with the Committee referred to in Article XIII. Entry into Force Article VIII 1. The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated to the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration. 2. This Convention shall be binding only upon those Members of the Inter- national Labour Organization whose ratifications have been registered by the Director- General. 3. This Convention shall come into force 12 months after the date on which there have been registered ratifications by at least 30 Members with a total share in the world gross tonnage of ships of at least 33 per cent. 4. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for any Member 12 months after the date on which its ratification has been registered. Denunciation Article IX 1. A Member which has ratified this Convention may denounce it after the expiration of ten years from the date on which the Convention first comes into force, by an act communicated to the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one year after the date on which it is registered. 2. Each Member which does not, within the year following the expiration of the period of ten years mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Article, exercise the right of denunciation provided for in this Article, shall be bound for another period of ten years and, thereafter, may denounce this Convention at the expiration of each new period of ten years under the terms provided for in this Article.
Effect of Entry into Force Article X This Convention revises the following Conventions: Minimum Age (Sea) Convention, 1920 (No. 7) Unemployment Indemnity (Shipwreck) Convention, 1920 (No. 8) Placing of Seamen Convention, 1920 (No. 9) Medical Examination of Young Persons (Sea) Convention, 1921 (No. 16) Seamen s Articles of Agreement Convention, 1926 (No. 22) Repatriation of Seamen Convention, 1926 (No. 23) Officers Competency Certificates Convention, 1936 (No. 53) Holidays with Pay (Sea) Convention, 1936 (No. 54) Shipowners Liability (Sick and Injured Seamen) Convention, 1936 (No. 55) Sickness Insurance (Sea) Convention, 1936 (No. 56) Hours of Work and Manning (Sea) Convention, 1936 (No. 57) Minimum Age (Sea) Convention (Revised), 1936 (No. 58) Food and Catering (Ships Crews) Convention, 1946 (No. 68) Certification of Ships Cooks Convention, 1946 (No. 69) Social Security (Seafarers) Convention, 1946 (No. 70) Paid Vacations (Seafarers) Convention, 1946 (No. 72) Medical Examination (Seafarers) Convention, 1946 (No. 73) Certification of Able Seamen Convention, 1946 (No. 74) Accommodation of Crews Convention, 1946 (No. 75) Wages, Hours of Work and Manning (Sea) Convention, 1946 (No. 76) Paid Vacations (Seafarers) Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 91) Accommodation of Crews Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 92) Wages, Hours of Work and Manning (Sea) Convention (Revised),
1949 (No. 93) Wages, Hours of Work and Manning (Sea) Convention (Revised), 1958 (No. 109) Accommodation of Crews (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1970 (No. 133) Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Convention, 1970 (No. 134) Continuity of Employment (Seafarers) Convention, 1976 (No. 145) Seafarers Annual Leave with Pay Convention, 1976 (No. 146) Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 147) Protocol of 1996 to the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 147) Seafarers Welfare Convention, 1987 (No. 163) Health Protection and Medical Care (Seafarers) Convention, 1987 (No. 164) Social Security (Seafarers) Convention (Revised), 1987 (No. 165) Repatriation of Seafarers Convention (Revised), 1987 (No. 166) Labour Inspection (Seafarers) Convention, 1996 (No. 178) Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Convention, 1996 (No. 179) Seafarers Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180).
Depositary Functions Article XI 1. The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall notify all Members of the International Labour Organization of the registration of all ratifications, acceptances and denunciations under this Convention. 2. When the conditions provided for in paragraph 3 of Article VIII have been fulfilled, the Director-General shall draw the attention of the Members of the Organization to the date upon which the Convention will come into force. Article XII The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for registration in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations full particulars of all ratifications, acceptances and denunciations registered under this Convention. Special Tripartite Committee Article XIII 1. The Governing Body of the International Labour Office shall keep the working of this Convention under continuous review through a committee established by it with special competence in the area of maritime labour standards. 2. For matters dealt with in accordance with this Convention, the Committee shall consist of two representatives nominated by the Government of each Member which has ratified this Convention, and the representatives of Shipowners and Sea- farers appointed by the Governing Body after consultation with the Joint Maritime Commission. 3. The Government representatives of Members which have not yet ratified this Convention may participate in the Committee but shall have no right to vote on any matter dealt with in accordance with this Convention. The Governing Body may invite other organizations or entities to be represented on the Committee by observers. 4. The votes of each Shipowner and Seafarer representative in the Committee shall be weighted so as to ensure that the Shipowners group and the Seafarers group each have half the voting power of the total number of governments which are rep- resented at the meeting concerned and entitled to vote.
Amendment of this Convention Article XIV 1. Amendments to any of the provisions of this Convention may be adopted by the General Conference of the International Labour Organization in the framework of article 19 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation and the rules and procedures of the Organization for the adoption of Conventions. Amendments to the Code may also be adopted following the procedures in Article XV. 2. In the case of Members whose ratifications of this Convention were registered before the adoption of the amendment, the text of the amendment shall be communicated to them for ratification. 3. In the case of other Members of the Organization, the text of the Convention as amended shall be communicated to them for ratification in accordance with article 19 of the Constitution. 4. An amendment shall be deemed to have been accepted on the date when there have been registered ratifications, of the amendment or of the Convention as amended, as the case may be, by at least 30 Members with a total share in the world gross tonnage of ships of at least 33 per cent. 5. An amendment adopted in the framework of article 19 of the Constitution shall be binding only upon those Members of the Organization whose ratifications have been registered by the Director- General of the International Labour Office. 6. For any Member referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, an amendment shall come into force 12 months after the date of acceptance referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article or 12 months after the date on which its ratification of the amendment has been registered, whichever date is later. 7. Subject to paragraph 9 of this Article, for Members referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, the Convention as amended shall come into force 12 months after the date of acceptance referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article or 12 months after the date on which their ratifications of the Convention have been registered, whichever date is later. 8. For those Members whose ratification of this Convention was registered before the adoption of an amendment but which have not ratified the amendment, this Convention shall remain in force without the amendment concerned. 9. Any Member whose ratification of this Convention is registered after the adoption of the amendment but before the date referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article may, in a declaration accompanying the instrument of ratification, specify that its ratification relates to the Convention without the amendment concerned. In the case of a ratification with such a declaration, the Convention shall come into force for the Member concerned 12 months after the date on which the ratification was registered. Where an instrument of ratification is not
accompanied by such a declaration, or where the ratification is registered on or after the date referred to in paragraph 4, the Convention shall come into force for the Member concerned 12 months after the date on which the ratification was registered and, upon its entry into force in accordance with paragraph 7 of this Article, the amendment shall be binding on the Member concerned unless the amendment provides otherwise. Amendments to the Code Article XV 1. The Code may be amended either by the procedure set out in Article XIV or, unless expressly provided otherwise, in accordance with the procedure set out in the present Article. 2. An amendment to the Code may be proposed to the Director- General of the International Labour Office by the government of any Member of the Organization or by the group of Shipowner representatives or the group of Seafarer representatives who have been appointed to the Committee referred to in Article XIII. An amendment proposed by a government must have been proposed by, or be supported by, at least five governments of Members that have ratified the Convention or by the group of Shipowner or Seafarer representatives referred to in this paragraph. 3. Having verified that the proposal for amendment meets the requirements of paragraph 2 of this Article, the Director-General shall promptly communicate the proposal, accompanied by any comments or suggestions deemed appropriate, to all Members of the Organization, with an invitation to them to transmit their observations or suggestions concerning the proposal within a period of six months or such other period (which shall not be less than three months nor more than nine months) prescribed by the Governing Body. 4. At the end of the period referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, the proposal, accompanied by a summary of any observations or suggestions made under that paragraph, shall be transmitted to the Committee for consideration at a meeting. An amendment shall be considered adopted by the Committee if: (a) at least half the governments of Members that have ratified this Convention are represented in the meeting at which the proposal is considered; and (b) a majority of at least two-thirds of the Committee members vote in favour of the amendment; and (c) this majority comprises the votes in favour of at least half the government voting power, half the Shipowner voting power and half the Seafarer voting power of the Committee members registered at the meeting when the proposal is put to the vote. 5. Amendments adopted in accordance with paragraph 4 of this Article shall be submitted to the next session of the Conference for approval. Such approval shall re- quire a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast by the delegates present. If such majority is not obtained, the
proposed amendment shall be referred back to the Committee for reconsideration should the Committee so wish. 6. Amendments approved by the Conference shall be notified by the Director- General to each of the Members whose ratifications of this Convention were registered before the date of such approval by the Conference. These Members are referred to below as the ratifying Members. The notification shall contain a reference to the present Article and shall prescribe the period for the communication of any formal dis- agreement. This period shall be two years from the date of the notification unless, at the time of approval, the Conference has set a different period, which shall be a period of at least one year. A copy of the notification shall be communicated to the other Members of the Organization for their information. 7. An amendment approved by the Conference shall be deemed to have been accepted unless, by the end of the prescribed period, formal expressions of disagreement have been received by the Director-General from more than 40 per cent of the Members which have ratified the Convention and which represent not less than 40 per cent of the gross tonnage of the ships of the Members which have ratified the Convention. 8. An amendment deemed to have been accepted shall come into force six months after the end of the prescribed period for all the ratifying Members except those which had formally expressed their disagreement in accordance with paragraph 7 of this Article and have not withdrawn such disagreement in accordance with paragraph 11. However: (a) before the end of the prescribed period, any ratifying Member may give notice to the Director-General that it shall be bound by the amendment only after a sub- sequent express notification of its acceptance; and (b) before the date of entry into force of the amendment, any ratifying Member may give notice to the Director-General that it will not give effect to that amendment for a specified period. 9. An amendment which is the subject of a notice referred to in paragraph 8(a) of this Article shall enter into force for the Member giving such notice six months after the Member has notified the Director-General of its acceptance of the amendment or on the date on which the amendment first comes into force, whichever date is later. 10. The period referred to in paragraph 8(b) of this Article shall not go beyond one year from the date of entry into force of the amendment or beyond any longer period determined by the Conference at the time of approval of the amendment. 11. A Member that has formally expressed disagreement with an amendment may withdraw its disagreement at any time. If notice of such withdrawal is received by the Director-General after the amendment has entered into force, the amendment shall enter into force for the Member six months after the date on which the notice was registered. 12. After entry into force of an amendment, the Convention may only be ratified in its amended form.
13. To the extent that a maritime labour certificate relates to matters covered by an amendment to the Convention which has entered into force: (a) a Member that has accepted that amendment shall not be obliged to extend the benefit of the Convention in respect of the maritime labour certificates issued to ships flying the flag of another Member which: (i) pursuant to paragraph 7 of this Article, has formally expressed disagreement to the amendment and has not withdrawn such disagreement; or (ii) pursuant to paragraph 8(a) of this Article, has given notice that its acceptance is subject to its subsequent express notification and has not accepted the amendment; and (b) a Member that has accepted the amendment shall extend the benefit of the Convention in respect of the maritime labour certificates issued to ships flying the flag of another Member that has given notice, pursuant to paragraph 8(b) of this Article, that it will not give effect to that amendment for the period specified in accordance with paragraph 10 of this Article. Authoritative Languages Article XVI The English and French versions of the text of this Convention are equally authoritative.
EXPLANATORY NOTE TO THE EGULATIONS AND CODE OF THE MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION 1. This explanatory note, which does not form part of the Maritime Labour Convention, is intended as a general guide to the Convention. 2. The Convention comprises three different but related parts: the Articles, the Regulations and the Code. 3. The Articles and Regulations set out the core rights and principles and the basic obligations of Members ratifying the Convention. The Articles and Regulations can only be changed by the Conference in the framework of article 19 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation (see Article XIV of the Convention). 4. The Code contains the details for the implementation of the Regulations. It comprises Part A (mandatory Standards) and Part B (non-mandatory Guidelines). The Code can be amended through the simplified procedure set out in Article XV of the Convention. Since the Code relates to detailed implementation, amendments to it must remain within the general scope of the Articles and Regulations. 5. The Regulations and the Code are organized into general areas under five Titles: Title 1: Minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship Title 2: Conditions of employment Title 3: Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering Title 4: Health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection Title 5: Compliance and enforcement 6. Each Title contains groups of provisions relating to a particular right or principle (or enforcement measure in Title 5), with connected numbering. The first group in Title 1, for example, consists of Regulation 1.1, Standard A1.1 and Guideline B1.1, relating to minimum age. 7. The Convention has three underlying purposes: (a) to lay down, in its Articles and Regulations, a firm set of rights and principles; (b) to allow, through the Code, a considerable degree of flexibility in the way Members implement those rights and principles; and (c) to ensure, through Title 5, that the rights and principles are properly complied with and enforced. 8. There are two main areas for flexibility in implementation: one is the possibility for a Member, where necessary (see Article VI,
paragraph 3), to give effect to the detailed requirements of Part A of the Code through substantial equivalence (as defined in Article VI, paragraph 4). 9. The second area of flexibility in implementation is provided by formulating the mandatory requirements of many provisions in Part A in a more general way, thus leaving a wider scope for discretion as to the precise action to be provided for at the national level. In such cases, guidance on implementation is given in the non- mandatory Part B of the Code. In this way, Members which have ratified this Convention can ascertain the kind of action that might be expected of them under the corresponding general obligation in Part A, as well as action that would not necessarily be required. For example, Standard A4.1 requires all ships to provide prompt access to the necessary medicines for medical care on board ship (paragraph 1(b)) and to carry a medicine chest (paragraph 4(a)). The fulfilment in good faith of this latter obligation clearly means something more than simply having a medicine chest on board each ship. A more precise indication of what is involved is provided in the corresponding Guideline B4.1.1 (paragraph 4) so as to ensure that the contents of the chest are properly stored, used and maintained. 10. Members which have ratified this Convention are not bound by the guidance concerned and, as indicated in the provisions in Title 5 on port State control, inspections would deal only with the relevant requirements of this Convention (Articles, Regulations and the Standards in Part A). However, Members are required under paragraph 2 of Article VI to give due consideration to implementing their responsibilities under Part A of the Code in the manner provided for in Part B. If, having duly considered the relevant Guidelines, a Member decides to provide for different arrangements which ensure the proper storage, use and maintenance of the contents of the medicine chest, to take the example given above, as required by the Standard in Part A, then that is acceptable. On the other hand, by following the guidance pro- vided in Part B, the Member concerned, as well as the ILO bodies responsible for reviewing implementation of international labour Conventions, can be sure without further consideration that the arrangements the Member has provided for are ad- equate to implement the responsibilities under Part A to which the Guideline relates.
THE REGULATIONS AND THE CODE
TITLE 1. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR SEAFARERS TO WORK ON A SHIP Regulation 1.1 Minimum age Purpose: To ensure that no under-age persons work on a ship 1. No person below the minimum age shall be employed or engaged or work on a ship. 2. The minimum age at the time of the initial entry into force of this Convention is 16 years. 3. A higher minimum age shall be required in the circumstances set out in the Code. Standard A1.1 Minimum age 1. The employment, engagement or work on board a ship of any person under the age of 16 shall be prohibited. 2. Night work of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited. For the purposes of this Standard, night shall be defined in accordance with national law and practice. It shall cover a period of at least nine hours starting no later than midnight and ending no earlier than 5 a.m. 3. An exception to strict compliance with the night work restriction may be made by the competent authority when: (a) the effective training of the seafarers concerned, in accordance with established programmes and schedules, would be impaired; or (b) the specific nature of the duty or a recognized training programme requires that the seafarers covered by the exception perform duties at night and the authority determines, after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned, that the work will not be detrimental to their health or well-being. 4. The employment, engagement or work of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited where the work is likely to jeopardize their health or safety. The types of such work shall be determined by national laws or regulations or by the competent authority, after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned, in accordance with relevant international standards. Guideline B1.1 Minimum age 1. When regulating working and living conditions, Members should give special attention to the needs of young persons under the age of 18.
Regulation 1.2 Medical certificate Purpose: To ensure that all seafarers are medically fit to perform their duties at sea 1. Seafarers shall not work on a ship unless they are certified as medically fit to perform their duties. 2. Exceptions can only be permitted as prescribed in the Code. Standard A1.2 Medical certificate 1. The competent authority shall require that, prior to beginning work on a ship, seafarers hold a valid medical certificate attesting that they are medically fit to perform the duties they are to carry out at sea. 2. In order to ensure that medical certificates genuinely reflect seafarers state of health, in light of the duties they are to perform, the competent authority shall, after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned, and giving due consideration to applicable international guidelines referred to in Part B of this Code, prescribe the nature of the medical examination and certificate. 3. This Standard is without prejudice to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended ( STCW ). A medical certificate issued in accordance with the requirements of STCW shall be accepted by the competent authority, for the purpose of Regulation 1.2. A medical certificate meeting the substance of those requirements, in the case of seafarers not covered by STCW, shall similarly be accepted. 4. The medical certificate shall be issued by a duly qualified medical practitioner or, in the case of a certificate solely concerning eyesight, by a person recognized by the competent authority as qualified to issue such a certificate. Practitioners must enjoy full professional independence in exercising their medical judgement in undertaking medical examination procedures. 5. Seafarers that have been refused a certificate or have had a limitation imposed on their ability to work, in particular with respect to time, field of work or trading area, shall be given the opportunity to have a further examination by another independent medical practitioner or by an independent medical referee. 6. Each medical certificate shall state in particular that: (a) the hearing and sight of the seafarer concerned, and the colour vision in the case of a seafarer to be employed in capacities where fitness for the work to be performed is liable to be affected by defective colour vision, are all satisfactory; and (b) the seafarer concerned is not suffering from any medical condition likely to be aggravated by service at sea or to render the seafarer unfit for such service or to endanger the health of other persons on board. 7. Unless a shorter period is required by reason of the specific duties to be performed by the seafarer concerned or is required under STCW: (a) a medical certificate shall be valid for a maximum period of two years unless the seafarer is under the age of 18, in which case the maximum period of validity shall be one year; (b) a certification of colour vision shall be valid for a maximum period of six years.
8. In urgent cases the competent authority may permit a seafarer to work without a valid medical certificate until the next port of call where the seafarer can obtain a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner, provided that: (a) the period of such permission does not exceed three months; and (b) the seafarer concerned is in possession of an expired medical certificate of recent date. 9. If the period of validity of a certificate expires in the course of a voyage, the certificate shall continue in force until the next port of call where the seafarer can obtain a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner, provided that the period shall not exceed three months. 10. The medical certificates for seafarers working on ships ordinarily engaged on international voyages must as a minimum be provided in English. B1.2.1 International guidelines Guideline B1.2 Medical certificate Guideline 1. The competent authority, medical practitioners, examiners, shipowners, seafarers representatives and all other persons concerned with the conduct of medical fitness examinations of seafarer candidates and serving seafarers should follow the ILO/ WHO Guidelines for Conducting Pre-sea and Periodic Medical Fitness Examinations for Seafarers, including any subsequent versions, and any other applicable international guidelines published by the International Labour Organization, the International Maritime Organization or the World Health Organization. Regulation 1.3 Training and qualifications Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are trained or qualified to carry out their duties on board ship 1. Seafarers shall not work on a ship unless they are trained or certified as competent or otherwise qualified to perform their duties. 2. Seafarers shall not be permitted to work on a ship unless they have successfully completed training for personal safety on board ship. 3. Training and certification in accordance with the mandatory instruments adopted by the International Maritime Organization shall be considered as meeting the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Regulation. 4. Any Member which, at the time of its ratification of this Convention, was bound by the Certification of Able Seamen Convention, 1946 (No. 74), shall continue to carry out the obligations under that Convention unless and until mandatory provisions covering its subject matter have been adopted by the International Maritime Organization and entered into force, or until five years have elapsed since the entry into force of this Convention in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article VIII, whichever date is earlier.
Regulation 1.4 Recruitment and placement Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have access to an efficient and well-regulated seafarer recruitment and placement system 1. All seafarers shall have access to an efficient, adequate and accountable system for finding employment on board ship without charge to the seafarer. 2. Seafarer recruitment and placement services operating in a Member s territory shall conform to the standards set out in the Code. 3. Each Member shall require, in respect of seafarers who work on ships that fly its flag, that shipowners who use seafarer recruitment and placement services that are based in countries or territories in which this Convention does not apply, ensure that those services conform to the requirements set out in the Code. Standard A1.4 Recruitment and placement 1. Each Member that operates a public seafarer recruitment and placement service shall ensure that the service is operated in an orderly manner that protects and promotes seafarers employment rights as provided in this Convention. 2. Where a Member has private seafarer recruitment and placement services operating in its territory whose primary purpose is the recruitment and placement of seafarers or which recruit and place a significant number of seafarers, they shall be operated only in conformity with a standardized system of licensing or certification or other form of regulation. This system shall be established, modified or changed only after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned. In the event of doubt as to whether this Convention applies to a private recruitment and placement service, the question shall be determined by the competent authority in each Member after consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned. Undue proliferation of private seafarer recruitment and placement services shall not be encouraged. 3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this Standard shall also apply to the extent that they are determined by the competent authority, in consultation with the shipowners and seafarers organizations concerned, to be appropriate in the context of recruitment and placement services operated by a seafarers organization in the territory of the Member for the supply of seafarers who are nationals of that Member to ships which fly its flag. The services covered by this paragraph are those fulfilling the following conditions: (a) the recruitment and placement service is operated pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between that organization and a shipowner; (b) both the seafarers organization and the shipowner are based in the territory of the Member; (c) the Member has national laws or regulations or a procedure to authorize or register the collective bargaining agreement permitting the operation of the recruitment and placement service; and (d) the recruitment and placement service is operated in an orderly manner and measures are in place to protect and promote seafarers employment rights comparable to those provided in paragraph 5 of this Standard. 4. Nothing in this Standard or Regulation 1.4 shall be deemed to:
(a) prevent a Member from maintaining a free public seafarer recruitment and placement service for seafarers in the framework of a policy to meet the needs of seafarers and shipowners, whether the service forms part of or is coordinated with a public employment service for all workers and employers; or (b) impose on a Member the obligation to establish a system for the operation of private seafarer recruitment or placement services in its territory. 5. A Member adopting a system referred to in paragraph 2 of this Standard shall, in its laws and regulations or other measures, at a minimum: (a) prohibit seafarer recruitment and placement services from using means, mechanisms or lists intended to prevent or deter seafarers from gaining employment for which they are qualified; (b) require that no fees or other charges for seafarer recruitment or placement or for providing employment to seafarers are borne directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the seafarer, other than the cost of the seafarer obtaining a national statutory medical certificate, the national seafarer s book and a passport or other similar personal travel documents, not including, however, the cost of visas, which shall be borne by the shipowner; and (c) ensure that seafarer recruitment and placement services operating in its territory: (i) maintain an up-to-date register of all seafarers recruited or placed through them, to be available for inspection by the competent authority; (ii) make sure that seafarers are informed of their rights and duties under their employment agreements prior to or in the process of engagement and that proper arrangements are made for seafarers to examine their employment agreements before and after they are signed and for them to receive a copy of the agreements; (iii) verify that seafarers recruited or placed by them are qualified and hold the documents necessary for the job concerned, and that the seafarers employment agreements are in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and any collective bargaining agreement that forms part of the employment agreement; (iv) make sure, as far as practicable, that the shipowner has the means to protect seafarers from being stranded in a foreign port; (v) examine and respond to any complaint concerning their activities and advise the competent authority of any unresolved complaint; (vi) establish a system of protection, by way of insurance or an equivalent appropriate measure, to compensate seafarers for monetary loss that they may incur as a result of the failure of a recruitment and placement service or the relevant shipowner under the seafarers employment agreement to meet its obligations to them. 6. The competent authority shall closely supervise and control all seafarer recruitment and placement services operating in the territory of the Member concerned. Any licences or certificates or similar authorizations for the operation of private services in the territory are granted or renewed only after verification that the seafarer recruitment and placement service concerned meets the requirements of national laws and regulations. 7. The competent authority shall ensure that adequate machinery and procedures exist for the investigation, if necessary, of complaints concerning the activities of
seafarer recruitment and placement services, involving, as appropriate, representatives of shipowners and seafarers. 8. Each Member which has ratified this Convention shall, in so far as practicable, advise its nationals on the possible problems of signing on a ship that flies the flag of a State which has not ratified the Convention, until it is satisfied that standards equivalent to those fixed by this Convention are being applied. Measures taken to this effect by the Member that has ratified this Convention shall not be in contradiction with the principle of free movement of workers stipulated by the treaties to which the two States concerned may be parties. 9. Each Member which has ratified this Convention shall require that shipowners of ships that fly its flag, who use seafarer recruitment and placement services based in countries or territories in which this Convention does not apply, ensure, as far as practicable, that those services meet the requirements of this Standard. 10. Nothing in this Standard shall be understood as diminishing the obligations and responsibilities of shipowners or of a Member with respect to ships that fly its flag. Guideline B1.4 Recruitment and placement Guideline B1.4.1 Organizational and operational guidelines 1. When fulfilling its obligations under Standard A1.4, paragraph 1, the competent authority should consider: (a) taking the necessary measures to promote effective cooperation among seafarer recruitment and placement services, whether public or private; (b) the needs of the maritime industry at both the national and international levels, when developing training programmes for seafarers that form the part of the ship s crew that is responsible for the ship s safe navigation and pollution prevention operations, with the participation of shipowners, seafarers and the relevant training institutions; (c) making suitable arrangements for the cooperation of representative shipowners and seafarers organizations in the organization and operation of the public seafarer recruitment and placement services, where they exist; (d) determining, with due regard to the right to privacy and the need to protect confidentiality, the conditions under which seafarers personal data may be processed by seafarer recruitment and placement services, including the collection, storage, combination and communication of such data to third parties; (e) maintaining an arrangement for the collection and analysis of all relevant information on the maritime labour market, including the current and prospective supply of seafarers that work as crew classified by age, sex, rank and qualifications, and the industry s requirements, the collection of data on age or sex being admissible only for statistical purposes or if used in the framework of a programme to prevent discrimination based on age or sex; (f) ensuring that the staff responsible for the supervision of public and private seafarer recruitment and placement services for ship s crew with responsibility for the ship s safe navigation and pollution prevention operations have had adequate training, including approved sea-service experience, and have relevant knowledge of the maritime industry, including the relevant maritime international instruments on training, certification and labour standards;